NISSAN LEAF 2012 Owners Manual

WARNING
.Every person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should use a seat belt at
all times. Children should be prop-
erly restrained in the rear seat and,
if appropriate, in a child restraint.
. The seat belt should be properly
adjusted to a snug fit. Failure to do
so may reduce the effectiveness of
the entire restraint system and in-
crease the chance or severity of
injury in an accident. Serious injury
or death can occur if the seat belt is
not worn properly.
. Always route the shoulder belt over
your shoulder and across your
chest. Never put the belt behind
your back, under your arm or across
your neck. The belt should be away
from your face and neck, but not
falling off your shoulder.
. Position the lap belt as low and
snug as possible AROUND THE
HIPS, NOT THE WAIST. A lap belt
worn too high could increase the
risk of internal injuries in an acci-
dent. .
Be sure the seat belt tongue is
securely fastened to the proper
buckle.
. Do not wear the seat belt inside out
or twisted. Doing so may reduce its
effectiveness.
. Do not allow more than one person
to use the same seat belt.
. Never carry more people in the
vehicle than there are seat belts.
. If the seat belt warning light glows
continuously while the power switch
is turned ON with all doors closed
and all seat belts fastened, it may
indicate a malfunction in the sys-
tem. Have the system checked by a
NISSAN certified LEAF dealer.
. No changes should be made to the
seat belt system. For example, do
not modify the seat belt, add mate-
rial, or install devices that may
change the seat belt routing or
tension. Doing so may affect the
operation of the seat belt system.
Modifying or tampering with the
seat belt system may result in
serious personal injury.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-11

.Once a seat belt pretensioner has
activated, it cannot be reused and
must be replaced together with the
retractor. See a NISSAN certified
LEAF dealer.
. Removal and installation of the
pretensioner system components
should be done by a NISSAN certi-
fied LEAF dealer.
. All seat belt assemblies, including
retractors and attaching hardware,
should be inspected after any colli-
sion by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer. NISSAN recommends that
all seat belt assemblies in use
during a collision be replaced un-
less the collision was minor and the
belts show no damage and continue
to operate properly. Seat belt as-
semblies not in use during a colli-
sion should also be inspected and
replaced if either damage or impro-
per operation is noted.
. All child restraints and attaching
hardware should be inspected after
any collision. Always follow the
restraint manufacturer’s inspection
instructions and replacement re- commendations. The child restraints
should be replaced if they are
damaged.
PREGNANT WOMEN
NISSAN recommends that pregnant women use
seat belts. The seat belt should be worn snug,
and always position the lap belt as low as
possible around the hips, not the waist. Place
the shoulder belt over your shoulder and across
your chest. Never put the lap/shoulder belt over
your abdominal area. Contact your doctor for
specific recommendations.
INJURED PERSONS
NISSAN recommends that injured persons use
seat belts, depending on the injury. Check with
your doctor for specific recommendations.
THREE-POINT TYPE SEAT BELT
WITH RETRACTOR

by cutting the seat belt with a
suitable tool (such as a knife or
scissors) to release the seat belt.
Fastening the seat belts
1. Adjust the seat. See “Seats” earlier in thissection.

of movement in the seat. The ELR locks the seat
belt when the vehicle slows down rapidly or
during certain impacts.
The Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode
(child restraint mode) locks the seat belt for
child restraint installation.
When ALR mode is activated the seat belt
cannot be extended again until the seat belt
tongue is detached from the buckle and fully
retracted. The seat belt returns to the ELR mode
after the seat belt fully retracts. For additional
information, see “Child restraints” later in this
section.
The ALR mode should be used only for
child restraint installation. During normal
seat belt use by an occupant, the ALR
mode should not be activated. If it is
activated, it may cause uncomfortable seat
belt tension.

Shoulder belt height adjustment (for
front seats)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position that is best for you.
See “Precautions on seat belt usage” earlier in
this section.
To adjust, pull the adjustment button
*1, and
then move the shoulder belt anchor to the
preferred position
*2so that the belt passes
over the center of the shoulder. The belt should
be away from your face and neck, but not falling
off of your shoulder. Release the adjustment
button to lock the shoulder belt anchor into
position.

Center of rear seat
Selecting correct set of seat belts:
The center seat belt buckle is identified by the
CENTER mark
*A. The center seat belt tongue
can be fastened onlyinto the center seat belt
buckle.
SEAT BELT EXTENDERS
If, because of body size or driving position, it is
not possible to properly fit the lap-shoulder belt
and fasten it, an extender that is compatible with
the installed seat belts is available that can be
purchased. The extender adds approximately 8
in (200 mm) of length and may be used for either the driver or front passenger seating position.
See a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer for
assistance with purchasing an extender if an
extender is required.

.Removing or modifying the front
passenger seat may affect the func-
tion of the air bag system and result
in serious personal injury.
. Modifying or tampering with the
front passenger seat may result in
serious personal injury. For exam-
ple, do not change the front seats by
placing material on the seat cushion
or by installing additional trim ma-
terial, such as seat covers, on the
seat that is not specifically designed
to assure proper air bag operation.
Additionally, do not stow any ob-
jects under the front passenger seat
or the seat cushion and seatback.
Such objects may interfere with the
proper operation of the occupant
classification sensors.
. No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring
of the seat belt system. This may
affect the front air bag system.
Tampering with the seat belt system
may result in serious personal in-
jury.
. Work on and around the front air
bag system should be done by a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer. In-
stallation of electrical equipment
should also be done by a NISSAN
certified LEAF dealer. The Supple-
mental Restraint System (SRS) wir-
ing harnesses* should not be
modified or disconnected. Un-
authorized electrical test equipment
and probing devices should not be
used on the air bag system.
. A cracked windshield should be
replaced immediately by a qualified
repair facility. A cracked windshield
could affect the function of the
supplemental air bag system.
*The SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the front air bag system
and guide the buyer to the appropriate sections
in this Owner’s Manual.

designed to inflate in higher severity side
collisions, although they may inflate if the forces
in another type of collision are similar to those of
a higher severity side impact. They are designed
to inflate on the side where the vehicle is
impacted. They may not inflate in certain side
collisions on the side where the vehicle is
impacted.
Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not always an
indication of proper side air bag and curtain air
bag operation.
When the side air bags and curtain air bags
inflate, a fairly loud noise may be heard, followed
by release of smoke. This smoke is not harmful
and does not indicate a fire. Care should be
taken not to inhale it, as it may cause irritation
and choking. Those with a history of a breathing
condition should get fresh air promptly.
Side air bags, along with the use of seat belts,
help to cushion the impact force on the chest
and pelvic area of the front occupants. Curtain
air bags help to cushion the impact force to the
head of occupants in the front and rear outboard
seating positions. They can help save lives and
reduce serious injuries. However, side air bags
and curtain air bags may cause abrasions or
other injuries. Side air bags and curtain air bags
do not provide restraint to the lower body.The seat belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and passenger seated upright as far as
practical away from the side air bags. Rear seat
passengers should be seated as far away as
practical from the door finishers and side roof
rails. The side air bags and curtain air bags
inflate quickly in order to help protect the
occupants in the outboard seating positions.
Because of this, the force of the side air bags
and curtain air bags inflating can increase the
risk of injury if the occupant is too close to, or is
against, these air bag modules during inflation.
The side air bags and curtain air bags will deflate
quickly after the collision is over.
The side air bags and curtain air bags
operate only when the power switch is in
the ON position.
After turning the power switch to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The supplemental air bag
warning light will turn off after about 7
seconds if the systems are operational.

such as seat covers, around the side
air bag.
. Work around and on the side air bag
and curtain air bag systems should
be done by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer. Installation of electrical
equipment should also be done by
a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer. The
Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) wiring harnesses* should not
be modified or disconnected. Un-
authorized electrical test equipment
and probing devices should not be
used on the side air bag and curtain
supplemental air bag systems.
*The SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the side air bag and
curtain air bag systems and guide the buyer to
the appropriate sections in this Owner’s Manual.SEAT BELTS WITH PRETEN-
SIONERS (front seats)